Keep cool when making summer travel plans

5/13/2011

By Attorney General Roy Cooper

Many families are cutting back on expenses these days, and that can include cutting back on summer travel. If you’re planning a getaway with your family this summer, make sure you get your money’s worth.

You may be able to save money by picking a vacation spot close to home this year. North Carolina offers many great places to spend your vacation we’re a year-round top tourist destination drawing millions of visitors who spend billions of dollars in our state

Wherever your vacation takes you, keep the following tips in mind when you make summer travel plans.

Travel Packages and Clubs

You’ve probably gotten a fax, phone call, or email offering an incredible price for what sounds like a dream vacation, or been offered a “free” vacation if you join a travel club. But these advertisements and offers often fail to tell you that you’ll have to pay added fees or take an unwanted high-pressure timeshare tour. And in many cases, travelers arrive at their destination to discover that the accommodations aren’t quite what they were promised. You may also be hit with extra charges like a bed fee, meals fee, or even a fee for sheets and towels.

A vacation isn’t free if you have to pay for something to get it, and offers that seem too good to be true almost always are. Before you agree to a vacation package or travel club offer:

Study the agreement carefully. Instead of being swayed by promised discounts, look at the total cost you’ll have to pay.

Don’t give in to high pressure sales tactics that push you to say yes on the spot, and check to see if the offer includes a refund policy in case you need to cancel.

Remember that you have three days to cancel under North Carolina law, if you end up buying a travel club membership at a hotel or any place other than the company’s office

Vacation Rentals

Planning on renting a place in the mountains or at the beach? North Carolina’s Vacation Rental Act protects consumers who rent a vacation property for fewer than 90 days. Under the law, the landlord must give you a written rental agreement that spells out:

Your rights and obligations as a tenant, including what you’ll pay

The rights and obligations of the landlord and/or real estate brokers

The amount of security deposit required and how the deposit will be held

Any additional fees required to rent the property

Once you sign a vacation rental agreement, you and the landlord agree to abide by its terms. Landlords are required by law to keep the property safe and habitable.

So what happens if your vacation gets cut short by the threat of a hurricane or forest fire? Your landlord may offer you insurance on your vacation rental, which would cover the cost of any nights you miss due to a mandatory evacuation. If you’re ordered to evacuate and you were not given a chance to purchase insurance, the landlord is required to refund your money for each night you can’t stay at the rental property. But if you’re offered rental insurance and don’t take it, then the owner isn’t required to refund your money in case of a mandatory evacuation.

If you rented the property through a real estate or property management company and you have been unable to get them to address your complaint or question, contact the North Carolina Real Estate Commission at (919) 875-3700. If you’re thinking about renting a vacation home out of state, it’s a good idea to contact the Attorney General’s Office in that state to learn about your rights there as a consumer.

A Few More Travel Tips

No matter how or where you book your vacation, consider paying with a credit card instead of cash to improve your odds of getting a refund if the company goes out of business.

Read all contracts carefully before signing. Make sure verbal promises are put in writing, and keep good records in case you have a problem later.

If your travel deal involves a third party such as an online travel agency who is supposed to issue you a coupon to cover lodging or air fare, verify that the participating company (hotel, cruise ship, or airline) is in fact a partner of the travel agency and will honor the coupon.

To check for complaints against a specific travel agent, travel package company or landlord or to file a complaint, you can always call my consumer protection office toll-free at 1-877-5-NO-SCAM.

And if you take a vacation this summer, have a wonderful and safe time.